Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter, all that belongs to Bloomsbury and J.K Rowling.
A/N: Come on, people! I can't improve the story and writing style without input, and I can't get input without reviews, so scroll down, and click! I take all criticisms and compliments seriously. On a different note, thank you to the 2 reviewers who have reviewed so far, appreciate the comments!
Update: I added an extra paragraph, which corrected a problem I saw with plot continuity, so yes, sorry. :D
Chapter 2: An Era Begins
It was into such a tumultuous setting that Albus Dumbledore was brought, on a night in July or August. The real date of his birth is not well known, which in itself, raises a few questions. A man as famous as he eventually became should have all his life's details readily available for the entire wizarding population to view. Yet something as simple as his precise date of birth, it seems, is already a mystery that no one but himself will be able to answer. Or will he?
Dates of birth play a very important role in the wizarding society. Without them, we would never know when to celebrate, what to celebrate, when to mourn, and when to hide from unwanted relatives who come knocking expecting a fat sack of Galleons just because they're your second cousins twice removed on your mother's side, and you can afford it. So how is it that one of the greatest wizards to ever have lived (though after this book is finished, that will be up for debate in many people's minds), does not have one?
Some would claim that due to the large family size of the Dumbledores, it would be relatively easy for any one member to have his date of birth forgotten, misplaced or even removed for personal reasons. This reporter, however, tends to suspect the last option. Once Albus had proved himself to be rather more adept at magic than his father, his brother, or anyone else around him, it would have seemed obvious that his parents chose immediately to make public this boy wonder's life details, to encourage his fans. This, after all, is what happens to any celebrity, as evidenced by the throngs of letters I myself receive on my birthday, be they well wishes or envelopes filled with Stinksap and Bubotuber pus. Why, then, did they choose not to do so?
"I think he may just have been born to someone else, he might," says Lire Oldman, whose son Gary has now made himself very well-known in the Muggle world. Lire goes on to elaborate, saying, "How on earth could his own parents not know his birthday? I mean, the very notion is preposterous!" When it was explained that simply because his date of birth was not public did not mean his parents did not know it, he seemed to be momentarily struck dumb. After getting his wits about him, though, he spared no words in providing his reasoning behind the claim. "Why else would they refuse to make public the date of his entrance into this world? It's a conspiracy, I tell you, a conspiracy! They're trying to cover up the fact that their son was not really theirs, that he was nothing more than an adopted child who was too good to be true
This claim that Albus was an adopted child poses a rather interesting question; if he is indeed an illegitimate child, then who was his real father? Many viable candidates spring to mind. One of the forerunners among believers of this theory is none other than Spavin himself. The Minister of Magic would of course seem to be the favourite for this particular parent, as he was known to have been of prodigious skill, and possessing much the same affinity for riddles and mystery. Who can forget the infamous revelation that Spavin was breeding and studying the Dementors and their Kiss? It was even claimed that he was attempting to create a spell which would have the same effect, but without the need for the presence of the creatures. The Dementor's Kiss would, in effect, have been available to all wizards for use on anyone, which would, to most people's horror, made the list of Unforgivable Curses grow.
Spavin seems to be the most likely candidate for a variety of other reasons as well. He was, as mentioned before, close friends of the Dumbledores, which could have been due to the adoption. A real father wanting to keep an eye on his biological son could have been a valid reason for the close friendship. However, all in all, the theory does not hold water, but a more tantalising and scandalous theory does arise.
The Dumbledores were very striking in their appearance. Their startlingly blue eyes, their tall thin figures and their shocking white hair is visible throughout the family's lineage, and Albus was no exception. Those eyes have been written about by many writers, though none have failed to mention their peculiar ability to seemingly see right into your soul. Many a quill has likened those eyes to taking a dose of Veritaserum and spewing your secrets to those willing to listen. It is hardly evidence of a hidden, forgotten parentage. On the contrary, it seems to be the very proof required by many possible cynics to convert them to believers. Not this reporter, however. I still remained wary about all those people who claimed that I was simply looking for whatever means possible to further my career. Obvious as it was to some that Dumbledore's parents were indeed Kendra and Percival, I instead felt that perhaps the reason behind a lack of knowledge about Albus' beginnings was slightly more gossip-inducing.
Since the beginning of time and magic, many have attempted, unsuccessfully, to create life. The Muggle story 'Frankenstein' is, after all, one Muggle's (Memory modified) tale of the wizardry that created the Inferi. This tragic piece of magic is one of the reasons behind the rise of the Dark Arts. Who wouldn't be willing to use magic for evil, knowing that all they'd have to do is utter a single spell and they'd have the power of the Undead available to them? Who would be foolish enough to attempt to resist a Dark wizard, when their resistance was only effective so long as they could inflict pain on the Dark wizard's supporters? Despite this, many more tried to perfect the process, until the different Ministries of Magic outlawed the research in a worldwide attempt to reduce the number of exceedingly clever wizards turning up dead due to an experiment going wrong. This line of research produced both the greatest enthusiasm as well as the most fatalities. Manipulation of energy in order to create and sustain life is exceedingly dangerous work, and should not be attempted by anyone. And yet it would seem that not only did one person attempt it and succeed, but they also perfected the art. How else would any couple (who one might claim, were hardly perfect) be able to create someone so skilled, so compassionate and (ultimately, as will be revealed further on) so dastardly?
And this begs another question. If Dumbledore was, indeed, the result of an experiment, what, then, did his father get into trouble for? It could hardly have been to prevent the birth of an unborn child, when the child was not even born, could it? It must have been for something else, but further investigations shed no light on this matter. I therefore was forced to put my assumptions about Percival's seemingly heinous crimes on hold, although in no way did it prove his innocence in my mind. If anything, it made me even more wary that someone had committed such a crime that people refused to discuss it, and then had still been allowed to walk away scot free. It seems obvious that there had been a manipulation of some sort, perhaps of the Minister's mind, to grant him pardon, or even worse, of the entire Wizengamot, that impartial court we all have come to depend on for justice.
While these paragraphs will hardly appeal to those who have defended Dumbledore from the time of his education till the time he took his last breath, it would also serve to answer those questions that the more daring of us have long been looking to answer. How did the brilliance that seems so overwhelming in one member of the family, never get exhibited in other parts of the family? Aberforth was hardly a genius with a wand, and Kendra and Percival, though hardworking, never displayed the natural aptitude and ability that Albus did. It is true that he did share other physical traits with the rest of the family, but the legality of a course of action involving the creation of life would require the perpetrator to try and cover up his or her tracks. If the culprit did indeed create Albus, then it would be a logical course of action to try and make it seem as though it was natural, rather than an abomination.
A/N: Like it? I thought I'd just let my brain go crazy and play around with some completely psycho ideas that had crept into my head. Let me know what you think! Please R&R!